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The best universal remote control
By Grant Clauser and Darryl Wilkinson This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, Wirecutter and Engadget may earn affiliate commission. Read the full guide to universal remote controls. If you're looking for an easy-to-use universal remote to control up to eight AV components and even some smart-home devices, we recommend the Logitech Harmony Companion. Harmony remotes are the easiest to set up, and the smart, activity-based system simplifies control of your whole home theater. No other remote control we found offers as much control, connectivity, and compatibility for the money. The two-piece Logitech Harmony Companion system, which consists of a hub and a handheld remote, can control up to eight AV components, and it works with IR, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth devices, which gives it more flexibility than many budget remotes have. You can also use a smartphone/tablet app to control your system. The Harmony Companion integrates with Alexa, Google Assistant, and several do-it-yourself home-automation hubs and smart devices, such as lights, locks, thermostats, and motorized shades. The remote lacks backlighting, and all of that functionality makes it a bit more difficult to program than some other Harmony remotes—but it's still easier to use than anything else available. If you're looking to control a typical AV system consisting of, say, a TV, an AV receiver, a cable DVR, and a Blu-ray player, the Logitech Harmony 665 is a great choice. It's capable of controlling up to 10 components, it features an easy-to-read, backlit color display, and the built-in Remote Assistant function is great for troubleshooting. If the remote fails to perform a task you expect it to (such as turning up the TV's volume), you can follow the Remote Assistant's guided suggestions to resolve the problem quickly. However, the Harmony 665 can control only IR-based equipment, so it doesn't support smart-home devices and some streaming media players and game consoles, and it needs line-of-sight with your gear. Like our top pick, the Logitech Harmony Elite is a two-piece system that uses the Harmony Hub, so you get all the same advantages. The flagship Elite model controls up to 15 devices and adds a customizable touchscreen for even more flexibility. The remote is fully backlit and more responsive, with a nicer design that makes it feel more like the remote for a professionally installed control system—but all of that comes with a big jump in price. This is the model to get if you have a large and expanding home theater system, and you want the best handheld remote.
What to expect for Black Friday 2017
This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter, reviews for the real world. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, they may earn affiliate commissions that support their work. Read their continuously updated list of deals here. Black Friday's coming up fast and we're already seeing a lot of deals going live, so here's what we expect: Get that shopping list ready soon. Your favorite deal, the one that says it'll go live on Friday? There's a decent chance it'll be available earlier. We've already seen some of the most interesting deals going live early, a fair few from Best Buy jumping the gun a week ago to beat other retailers. That TV/instant pot/whatever you wanted sold out already? Don't buy your backup option just yet. Not only have we seen some great deals go live already, but we've seen sold out products pop back in stock. It's not uncommon for retailers to put up great deals on Black Friday and once they sell out for the day, put up additional stock on Cyber Monday. Update your billing and shipping info. This is the most boring part of shopping, but you'll be really aggravated with yourself if you do grab that one thing you wanted and it sells out because you had to update all of your info. Here are some Black Friday deals we're seeing pop up already:
